State drops wildlife charge against 'Gator Boy'

The South Florida star of the Animal Planet's popular "Gator Boys'' reptile reality show won't be criminally charged over a wildlife permit snafu, the Broward State Attorney's Office annonced Monday.

Bedard, 44, was cited with possessing wildlife — a gator, what else? — without the proper permit. But Monday, prosecutors dropped the charge, a low-grade misdemeanor, with the blessing of County Judge Mindy Solomon. In return, Bedard must obtain the required license in his own name.

"I'm not surprised," said Bedard. "I still think it was just a big misunderstanding."

The adventures of Bedard, of Coral Gables, and partner Jimmy Riffle are aired on the "Gator Boys'' show, which follows the pair as they hunt down, capture and later release into the wild alligators designated as nuisances.

Unlike typical gator trappers, however, Bedard and Riffle eschew hooks and lines and wrestle the dangerous reptiles in their own element: underwater in canals, pools and golf course ponds. "It's more animal friendly," Bedard said.

The charge stems from Bedard's encounter last December with officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Bedard was at the Seminole Truck Stop on U.S. 27 in Southwest Ranches filming a gator. When asked for his license to possess Class II wildlife, Bedard produced a permit in the name of Riffle, who had left the scene.

About five months later, Bedard was mailed a citation.

Monday, the State Attorney's Office said it could be argued that the permit actually covers the licensee's associates, so Bedard may have been legally handling the gator. To avoid future problems, spokesman Ron Ishoy said, prosecutors are asking that Bedard procure his own license.

"Gator Boys'' has shifted filming to Mississippi after Broward County made changes to Everglades Holiday Park that affected the pair's gator-wrestling show there.